Harry Potter- Wizarding World FAQ

We will be at Disney May 13 to 21 my children all want to see Harry Potter area. Considering going for one day. Which would be the best day and should I get the ticket to go to both IOA and studios or is there not enough time to do both. Have not been there in a long time.
Thanks
Ellen

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This isn't a FAQ, but I'm wondering whether the CityWalk AMC theater will show a HP film again. I noticed they had at least two showings of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when I went July 2010 (and upped it to 3 during the weekend), and they had a double-feature of Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2 last year.

Did they stop the movie showings after the final one came out? I thought it would be neat to see a HP film at the CityWalk, go down to IOA and experience it firsthand. Or do they only do that seasonally, like during the summer?

This isn't a FAQ, but I'm wondering whether the CityWalk AMC theater will show a HP film again. I noticed they had at least two showings of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when I went July 2010 (and upped it to 3 during the weekend), and they had a double-feature of Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2 last year.

Did they stop the movie showings after the final one came out? I thought it would be neat to see a HP film at the CityWalk, go down to IOA and experience it firsthand. Or do they only do that seasonally, like during the summer?

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I'm not sure- I know they've had special showings of the movies in the past, but it's usually tied to an event (such as when Deathly Hallows Part 2 was out last summer). I haven't heard of any HP movies being shown at CityWalk since then.. but I guess nobody could know what the future will hold!

I don't want to go around the "locker" line only to find out that there is only one line.

Also, does the souvineer butterbeer still come in a mug (with a handle) or is it a cup now? And is "butterbeer" the only thing on mug/cup or does it have WWOHP like the throw away cups do?

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You are correct, there is no longer a separate locker queue. All group riders with and without bags and single riders with bags enter the line at the same place. The only way to skip the outdoor locker line is if you are a single rider without a bag. Then you can go directly to the castle gates and they will let your through. At least, this is the policy for now

Butterbeer is still available in both the souvenir mug and disposable cup. The Butterbeer mugs say all say "butterbeer", but if you get the Hog's Head Brew (alcoholic beer available inside the Hog's Head Pub), you can get a similar souvenir mug except with a boar's head on it.

I found an old thread that said the ATM shows up as Grignotts on the reciept. I'd like to do this, but first I want to know how much in fees I have to pay to use it. Anyone know?

Also, we're getting there early for our early-entry, taking the short-cut to wwohp and hitting Olivanders first. Where is the best/quickest place to park the stroller? I'll looked on youtube videos and I don't see a stroller parking area. Should I leave it under the shaded area near the owl post?

We are planning one day visit to Universal, mainly b/c of WWHP. I think kids in our party all read the books and watched the movies so it was a must for them. I am planning of taking them on Aug 27,Mon. I know that southern schools have started at this point and I wanted to avoid the weekend crowd. We'll try to get there supper early and hit WWHP first thing and plan on spending rest of day at both parks. The kids aren't really into big roller coaster rides. They could do Thunder Mt sort of ride but no more scary than that. So we are naturally planning on watching shows and mild rides.
Do we need express pass?

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We were there the last week of august 2010 and bought the express pass at the entrance to IOA only to find that we didn't need it. I def recommend waiting to see how the crowds are and DON'T buy them as you're walking in. The girl told us that we better buy them then because as the day goes on and it gets more crowded the price on them goes up...is this the case who knows, but we fell for it and wasted a chunk of money.

We leave for WDW Friday and plan to hit IOA one day next week so DD can experience WWoHP. I have started to panic though, because I dont know a thing about Universal. Would love some help:

We are planning to go 1/2 hr before park opening, hit HP area and then leave that area when it gets busy. Probably leave the park 2-3:00 so DS can take a nap in the car then plan to head back at 6:00 to hit WWoHP while the crowds are lower. I have read to hit Olivanders first, then FJ. Is there any other tips here? It will be me with DS (too small for FJ) and DD (HP geek.)

Which other attractions would DS like in IOA? He is just over 40" and all boy. Likes coasters (Goofys Barnstormer.) Universal's site keeps showing "down for routine maintenance" today . Can anyone tell me if FJ is the only ride DS isnt tall enough for?

Does anyone have a fav place to park their stroller while in WWoHP or the other areas? DS doesnt need it frequently, just like to have it when he is really tired in the afternoon and evening. Nothing like carrying a cranky kid to the car.

You do not need a reservation for lunch or dinner. Breakfast is generally reserved, but you may be able to get in by waiting outside the restaurant.

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we went during spring break and ate 2 different days for breakfast - without a reservation, there were plenty of people coming up to the TM holding a clipboard that had reservations, we just asked if we could eat without reservations - no problem.

We also went in one night to get the butter beer and a dessert - and yes, we went in just to get the butter beer - shorter line! (shhhh don't tell anyone! ;-) )

We leave for WDW Friday and plan to hit IOA one day next week so DD can experience WWoHP. I have started to panic though, because I dont know a thing about Universal. Would love some help:

We are planning to go 1/2 hr before park opening, hit HP area and then leave that area when it gets busy. Probably leave the park 2-3:00 so DS can take a nap in the car then plan to head back at 6:00 to hit WWoHP while the crowds are lower. I have read to hit Olivanders first, then FJ. Is there any other tips here? It will be me with DS (too small for FJ) and DD (HP geek.)

Which other attractions would DS like in IOA? He is just over 40" and all boy. Likes coasters (Goofys Barnstormer.) Universal's site keeps showing "down for routine maintenance" today . Can anyone tell me if FJ is the only ride DS isnt tall enough for?

Does anyone have a fav place to park their stroller while in WWoHP or the other areas? DS doesnt need it frequently, just like to have it when he is really tired in the afternoon and evening. Nothing like carrying a cranky kid to the car.

Thanks!!!!!

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Sounds like you've got a good plan for WWoHP -- the advice to hit Ollivanders first is good. We went during a pretty uncrowded time and though the lines dropped in the evening to nothing for nearly everything, Ollivanders still had a half-queue wait, and that line moves slowly. I paid for a subscription to a website that had lots of WWoHP and IOA information and I found it worth it. If it's something you're interested in, a search engine will probably pull it up.

If you've never been to IOA (I hadn't), you might want to study the park map in advance so you can get to WWoHP quickly - I found the park very overwhelming and would probably have gotten off track if I had not studied in advance -- you really want to get in that Ollivanders queue as soon as possible, you can go back and see other things later.

Our kids loved the rides in the Seuss area and the play area in Jurassic Park, called Camp Jurassic Park -- there is a water cannons area that can be a lot of fun if it's a hot day.

Have a question. I'm sorry if it was already covered but I didn't see it. I am going to and staying at Disney the end of June but we were going to Universal for a day. Is there a shuttle to get you back and fourth? I think when I booked my trip about 6 months ago, that someone said it was included when you bought a ticket to Universal.

Have a question. I'm sorry if it was already covered but I didn't see it. I am going to and staying at Disney the end of June but we were going to Universal for a day. Is there a shuttle to get you back and fourth? I think when I booked my trip about 6 months ago, that someone said it was included when you bought a ticket to Universal.